2014 in Books

I'm not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed of the number of books I read last year. On the one hand, most of 2014 was spent raising a baby, and contrary to what people assured me of, no reading happened in the middle of the night during feedings. On the other hand, I still managed to read a little more than a book a month, which is more than a lot of people I know can say! This was my third year pledging to read a certain number of books in a year. In 2012 and 2013, I pledged to read 50 books and I fell short both years, so for 2014, I said I would read 30 books. I had a good start to the year so this seemed more than doable. But, alas, I only managed to read 15 books, and that's not including the four books I haven't finished reading yet. Not too shabby, but less than half the amount I read in 2013!

But I will not be discouraged! I can appreciate that there are going to be times in my life that I am able to read more, and times where very little reading will get done. I figure, as long as I consistently have a book on the go, I'm winning at this whole reading thing. So for 2015, I'm pledging to read 20 books. That's about a book and a half a month and if I make an effort to read a little more before bed and spend a little less time scrolling through instagram at night, I should be able to succeed.

Here's a look at my piddly stats for 2014:

Number of books read: 15

Number of pages read: 4615

Percentage of female authors read: 67%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 47%

Percentage of non-fiction read: 20%

Longest book read: One Great Year at 456 pages

Ratings: 3 five-star reviews (20%); 5 four-star reviews (33%); 3 three-star reviews (20%); 3 two-star reviews (20%); and 1 one-star review (7%)

Compared to the average goodreads ratings:…

*I rated 6 books higher, with the most underrated book being The Rosie Project (but not by much!). I rated this book 5 stars, while the average goodreads rating is 4.02.

*I rated 9 books lower, with the most overrated book being Pigeon English. I gave this book 1 star, while the average goodreads rating is 3.48.

*I rated 3 books almost on par with with the average goodreads rating of around 4 stars: Come, Thou Tortoise, Sold, and A House in the Sky.

One book read in 2014 that I think everyone should read:

And the one book read in 2014 that I think everyone should skip:

Sorry John Green fans, but this one just didn't do it for me. And I'm having a hard time understanding why anyone would enjoy this book (or give it 5 stars!). It was dull, unbelievable and a bore to get through. 

I'm looking forward to the books I read in 2015! I got a few from Jim for Christmas that I'm really looking forward to reading, and I'm hoping to finish up the ones I'm only part way through from last year. It bugs me to have unfinished books on my end table. 

Do you make reading goals?

What books are you looking forward to reading this year? Any book I *must* read?

 Let me know in the comments! 

2013 in Books

For the past two years, my goal was to read 50 books in one year. In 2012 I fell short by 11 books. In 2013, I fell short of this goal by 18 books! In theory, 50 books a year doesn't seem like it should be that hard. That's a book a week with a 2 week grace period. This year, I decided to lower my goal to 30 books in one year. Seems more than doable - heck, I'm already ahead of schedule! Except let's not forget I'm having a baby in February, so who knows what will happen to my reading habits!

Here's how my stats for reading in 2013 stacked up:

Number of books read: 32

Number of pages read: 9502

Percentage of female authors read: 75%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 22%

Percentage of non-fiction read: 16%

Longest book read: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at 636 pages

Ratings: 5 five-star reviews (16%); 12 four-star reviews (38%); 10 three-star reviews (31%); and 5 two-star reviews (16%) - {yes, I realize that with rounding, this adds up to 101%)

Compared to the average Goodreads rating (thank you Laura for this stat inspiration!)...

*I rated 13 books higher, with the most underrated book being The Great Gatsby. I rated this book 5-stars, while the average Goodreads rating is 3.82.

*I rated 18 books lower, with the most overrated book being 13 Reasons Why. I rated this book 2-stars, while the average Goodreads rating is 4.06.

*I rated 1 book on par with the average Goodreads rating: I gave Snow Flower and the Secret Fan 4-stars, and the average Goodreads rating is 4.01.

One book read in 2013 that I think everyone should read:

And the one book read in 2013 that I would recommend skipping:

I always enjoy seeing my reading stats even though said stats do not weigh-in when I'm picking which book to read next. Meaning, I don't consciously choose to read a female author over a male author, or a shorter book over a longer book. Although, I have always made more of an effort to read Canadian authors when the opportunity arises.

With baby coming late February, I expect my reading habits to change - a lot. The majority of my reading is done when waiting for appointments, on my breaks in my car when I'm working, or late at night. All things that won't be happening when baby comes. Except maybe late night reading during feedings (one can hope!). So it will be interesting to see how this year goes. Hmmm, just writing that makes me think even 30 books is a lofty goal! But reading has always been a big part of my life, so as long as I always have a book "on the go", I'll be happy.

Tell me: What are your 2014 reading goals? Any must-reads on your list?

 Happy Reading!

 

See Ya Later, 2012

It's scary how fast time flies. A year ago, Jim, Saigon and I were living in a little cramped town-house outside of Edmonton when I decided to start this blog. While I claim to write a book blog, I cannot deny that I often will write about whatever I feel like. Which, I've been told by my mom, is when one should write. If you come here for bookish talk, but it's a Sunday and all you get is adorable photos of Saigon, I cannot apologize. My goal when I started this blog was never to get uber-popular or categorize myself into one specific niche. First and foremost, I wanted a place to talk about books. But for me, talking about books is so much more fun when you get to know the people talking about said books. So, therefore I assume you want to know more about me and my life, and why I read the books I do and why I feel the way I feel about certain books. And I hope that by being myself and letting you learn more about me, you'll feel comfortable enough to chime in with your own thoughts at the end of a post. There is no right or wrong answer to what you thought about a book. For me, one of the greatest things about reading is sharing all the feelings with someone else who has also read the same book. So to the handful of you who read this blog and engage in conversation with me, I thank you for that.

When I started Eat Books, it coincided with me signing up for the 50 Book Pledge. In all my years of reading, I had never thought of actually keeping track of the books I had read, let alone the number of books I read in a year. But I love lists and stats so this was a no-brainer.  50 books in one year? Easy. That's only a book a week with a 2-week grace period. Ha! I'm embarrassed to report that I only read 39 books this year. Not that I have any regrets though. I read some amazing books, met some amazing bloggers along the way, and experienced some firsts in a lot of things. I read listened to my first audiobook (even if it was a fail), I hosted my first author Q&A with a giveaway, I was contacted and sent a book for review from a local author via Twitter, and I completed my first readalong. Not too shabby.

Of the 39 books I read, here are the super exciting stats:

Number of pages read: 12,657

Percentage of female authors read: 72%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 10%

Shortest book read: Ethel & Ernest at 103 pages

Longest book read: The Thorn Birds at 692 pages


In my personal life, 2012 was a good year. Jim and I bought a house in Edmonton and I finally got my very own "library". We had three amazing vacations this year: Vegas, Nova Scotia and Florida. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary in November. Saigon had his one year anniversary post-stroke and hasn't looked back since. I fulfilled my need to work amongst books, before returning to my nursing career.I met an amazing group of bloggers and friends through The Edmonton Book Bloggers. I am excited and looking forward to what 2013 has to offer!

November 13, 2011

So see ya later, 2012. It's been a blast, but it's time to move on.

I'd love to hear: what were your memorable moments of 2012? 

6 Month Recap

I originally started this blog back in January of this year to keep track of the books I read. This was influenced by my signing up for the 50 Book Pledge that The Savvy Reader started in 2011. I stumbled across The Savvy Reader on Twitter one day and saw all the talk about the 50 Book Pledge and I was intrigued. I know I read  a lot, but what's a lot? So I decided to keep track this year. I also decided to start blogging about it because, while I do read a lot, I am terrible at describing books, and wanted to see if this is something I could work on through writing about books.

Since I don't read nearly the amount of books per month that some of my favorite book bloggers do, it never seemed necessary to have monthly recaps. Instead, I told myself I would do a 6-month recap. Here's what I've learned so far:

• I read in spurts (and I'm pretty sure I always have). I may devour a few books in a week, but then I won't read at all the next. Some days I'll be like, "oh shit, I haven't actually read anything other than other blogs since last Wednesday". I'd like to work on reading all time - meaning - consciously make the effort to read a little bit everyday. 

• Blogging is tough. Or, finding the time to blog is tough. I'm not sure which is tougher. Sometimes the words flow, sometimes not. I was so worried at the beginning about who might read my "reviews" and judge my lack of writing competency, but now I'm trying to "just write". I'm not a reviewer, I just want to talk about books. I also have to allow myself to blog more. It's so easy to say to myself, "oh you can write tomorrow...", but then tomorrow turns into a week later.

• Lastly, I don't think I like the name of my blog anymore. At first I liked it's bluntness, but now, not so much. I don't want to limit my blog to just talking about books (as evidenced by The Big Blue Dog posts), so I'd like a name that reflects more me and my life. This is code for: suggest new blog names for me please!  

Now for some reading stats (cause stats are fun guys!):

Books read this year so far: 19

The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
The Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
From Away by Michelle Ferguson
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens (review to come)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell 
Beyond the Rear View Mirror by Shelley Streit
Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (review to come)
Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore (review to come)

And yes, I did just link up every post for you! 

Number of pages read: 6416

Percentage of general fiction read: 42%

Percentage of female authors read: 68%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 21%

This year so far has also been a year of many "firsts" for me. I listened to my first audio book. I read my first fantasy book, my first mystery novel and my first graphic novel. I received my first copy of a book from an author for review. I hosted my very first giveaway! And I've met some awesome blogger peeps on this journey. Unfortunately, I'm falling behind in the 50 book pledge (I really want to hit 50), so I need to do a little more reading and a little less time wasting! 

Thanks to my readers and followers for sticking with me and following along. I appreciate each and every one of you and your comments. 

Happy Reading!